The present invention relates to a broadcast transmission method and apparatus for supplying images and data through a broadcast network, a method of receiving the broadcast and a broadcast receiving apparatus such as a personal computer, a set-top box, an intelligent television receiver and a digital broadcast receiver capable of processing the broadcast data and images.
In the conventional broadcast transmission system, the viewers can view only the video and audio information predetermined as a program.
In recent years, an attempt has been made to generate and transmit by measuring the motion and the facial expression of the human being and broadcast, in real time, a computer graphics character (hereinafter referred to simply as a CG character) based on the particular data (xe2x80x9cReal-Time Animation of the Upper Half of the Body Using a Facial Expression Tracker and an Articulated Input Device xe2x80x9d, Graphics and CAD Research Group Report 81-8, Information Processing Society of Japan, Dec. 19, 1996). In this system, however, the CG characters are generated and the resulting images are broadcast by the broadcast station, and therefore as in the conventional broadcast system, only the video and audio information predetermined as a program can be viewed. On the other hand, JP-A-6-327835 (laid open Nov. 29, 1994) discloses a communication game apparatus for playing a network game using characters preferred by the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for enabling the viewers to select a character of his or her liking and view a broadcast-transmitted program as a program participated in by the related character.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a broadcast-transmitting system, wherein data of expression (or a lock) and motion of a character is broadcast-transmitted as broadcast data together with image information so that a CG character selected by a viewer is generated and displayed on the receiving apparatus.
In view of the fact that the data on the expression and motion of the character are broadcast-transmitted together with the image information as broadcast data and the CG character selected by the viewer is generated and displayed on the receiving apparatus, the program broadcast-transmitted can be viewed as a program in which the character preferred and selected by the viewer appears. In this invention. the wording xe2x80x9cto broadcast-transmitxe2x80x9d means transmission of a program through a communication medium such as radio wave or internet for public reception.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a broadcast-transmitting system comprising a first generator for generating a background image, a first transmitter for converting the background image into a first transmission signal, a second generator for generating motion information for an object moving on the image, a second transmitter for converting the motion information into a second transmission signal, and a device for broadcast-transmitting the first and second transmission signals.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a broadcast-receiving system comprising a receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast-transmitted background image and motion information for an object moving on the image, a recording medium unit for holding model information for the object, and an information processing unit coupled to the receiving apparatus and the recording medium unit and having functions of enabling a model defined by the model information read from the recording medium unit to perform motion based on the motion information reproduced by the receiving apparatus and permitting the model in motion, i.e., a character image and the background image reproduced by the receiving apparatus to be displayed on one and the same screen.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a broadcast transmitting/receiving method, comprising the steps of:
broadcast-transmitting background image information and motion information for an object on a transmitting side;
receiving the broadcast-transmitted background information and the motion information on a receiving side;
selecting information of at least one character model from a recording medium holding information of a plurality of character models for an object on the receiving side;
generating a character model using the information of the selected character model and generating a motion-performing character image from the character model using the received motion information on the receiving side; and
displaying the generated character and the received background image on one and the same screen at the same time on the receiving side.